Karla's Korner: A Letter to the Joneses
A Letter to the Joneses….
We all know that one family who somehow manages to make life seem perfect. Social media is saturated with pictures of exotic vacations, kids perfect grades, new cars, houses, lavish shopping trips; the list is endless. And if we admit it we have all found ourselves feeling a bit envious and try to keep up with them from time to time; they are the “Joneses”. Having had several conversations about “The Joneses” recently and ...

Karla's Korner: Living Contently
Living Contently
Driving through rural back roads in what some would call “country” roads I caught a glimpse of a cow attempting to eat the grass on the other side of the fence. Pushing her nose through the hole in the fence as her long slippery tongue reached for the green grass on the other side she struggled avoiding what was right in front of her; green grass. How often are we like the cow on the other side of the fence longing for something just beyond ...

Karla's Korner: Out of the Shadows
Out of the Shadows…..
Award winning author and life coach Vironika Tugaleva wrote “You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.” The idea of pretending to be someone other than ourselves is nothing new, as a matter of fact make believe is a vital element of a child’s development. Pretending to be something or someone else is often encouraged as make believe games broaden the imagination and enhances creativity. “What do you want ...

Karla's Korner: Dusty Memories
Dusty Memories….
She was strong, tough as nails, sometimes loud, opinionated and on occasion ornery. She was funny, faithful, determined and if she loved you she loved you with everything she had; she loved me. She was my grandmother. Today (June 1) would have been her 93rd birthday; oh how I miss her.
I remember how she and my grandfather were always there for us, not spoiling us with things, rather taking time with us, talking, sharing stories or a ...

Karla's Korner: Be the Tree
Be the Tree….
On a recent late spring afternoon I sat quietly under an old oak tree in my back yard. Our yard is
full of little critters scurrying about building their nests, feeding new babies and on occasion playing in the trees. As I sat in the stillness of the afternoon I noticed a tiny tree poking through the lava rocks surround the deck steps. I move in to take a closer look and see the tiny sprig that if left in the ground would one day become a big ...

Karla's Korner: Telling Our Story
Telling Our Story…
A milestone is defined as “an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development; a significant achievement. This past weekend as I sat on the lawn of The University of Virginia sandwiched between my husband and son searching for my daughter in a sea of approximately 2,800 graduating fourth year students (Thomas Jefferson insisted that students are identified by years of learning instead of freshmen, sophomores, etc.) ...

Karla's Korner: Ten Lessons I Learned From Being a Mother
Ten Lessons I Learned From Being a Mother…
This week as I sat around the table at a local restaurant for Mother’s Day dinner my mind drifted back to the day I became a momma. My daughter was born two days before Mother’s Day that year; she came home from the hospital Mother’s Day morning. That day was the beginning of many where I would find myself searching for answers to a bajillion questions and realizing that the whole ...

Karla's Korner: Choose Love….
Choose Love….
Rambling through the backyard on a recent Saturday afternoon I stop, breathe deep, close my eyes and let the air slowly seep out of my lungs. Springtime in rural Virginia is a wonderful mix of crisp mornings and beautiful warm afternoons. Sometimes I think if I listen hard enough I can hear the buds on the trees burst open displaying tiny new leaves that will grow and provide cool shade in the heat of the summer. On this particular afternoon ...

Karla's Korner: Raise Em Up
Raise Em Up...
“….So you meet someone
The only one
You take her by the hand
Make a stand
Buy some land
Make some love
And then babies come
Raise em' up…”
These words from country music singer Keith Urban’s new song “Raise Em Up” has resonated in my head and heart this past week. As I sat outside of the dressing room at the tuxedo shop on Wednesday waiting for my son to emerge so the sales associate could make sure everything fit properly on his prom tux I ...

Karla's Korner: Fear Not
Fear Not….
Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons. Once in a while I am struck at how the simplest of things leave the deepest impact and teach the most valuable lessons. To live abundantly and to really enjoy life, requires us to pay attention to the small things, the everyday ordinary things that when combined together make up the really big things; the most important elements in our life story. As much as I focus on embracing the ordinary, I still find ...